The Neighbors
by GlaceonBoy28
Summary: Two neighbors who haven't talked before now are thrust into an adventure together for one of Sycamore's latest experiments. Who knows what they're gonna get into. Co-written with:Adventure Snail /u/4321675/adventure-snail
1. Chapter 1

"Alex, I'll give you three seconds to get down here before the eevees eat your breakfast!" my mom shouts, as I hear her feet stomping on the level below me.

I quickly sit up in bed as my head painfully scrapes the headboard in the process. Rubbing it gingerly, I frantically search my wardrobe for the day's attire.

"Purple shirt, black vest… grey shirt, purple vest…" I mumble as my eyes scan over the piles of clothes. I finally decide on a purple shirt and a grey tie. (Yup, I'm a purple guy.)

I take the stairs two at a time, stubbing my toe in the process, albeit only a minor injury. Bounding into the kitchen, a shocking, radiant sight hits my eyes.

Her hair cascades down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her eyes are silver enough to rival real stone. Her full, red lips were drawn elegantly in her cupid's bow, and drawn in an almost forgotten half smile.

"Er, hello. Are you Alex?" she asked.

I realized that I was staring.I closed my eyes and opened them again.

"Er, yeah," I said, my voice dangerously close to a squeak.

" Hi! I'm Serena! Professor Sycamore sent me. He needs us to go on a journey, part of one of his experiments. He didn't tell me all the little details."

She looks straight at me, cheerfully… expectantly. Oh, she's waiting for me to agree.

" Yeah, sure," I say, mimicking her excitement. Rosalie pats my leg and whines, licking her chops with a smug look on her face. She sniffs, then runs off. What do you know, mom DID let her eat my breakfast…

* * *

Serena led me through the village to a small cafe where we were to meet one of Professor Sycamore's assistants. We arrived and ordered silently.

The girl was my neighbor, but we rarely talked before now. I took a sip of coffee and quickly wiped my mouth in case any whipped cream was left behind.

" So, Alex… I've always wondered, where did you live before coming to Kalos?" Serena asked after a while.

" We used to live in Hoenn. My dad died and…" I paused and bit my lip,"Well, we wanted a change."

"I'm… I'm so sorry," she said after a moment in almost a whisper.

"No, no… it's okay," I say with a sigh. "It happened two years ago, I mean, I'm not over it, but… I'm okay." That was probably the least convincing thing I've ever said. "Er, Serena," I say suddenly in an attempt to change the subject, "how old are you?"

I mentally face palm for asking a girl her age, but she smiles. "Fifteen… I just recently got out of training school, actually."

" Oh really? I'm fifteen too, I got out of trainer school a few months ago."

" Oh, cool!" Sabrina comments, flashing a radiant smile.

A flustered woman with stringy hair tied in a bun came up to them. One of her hands held a clipboard, the other two bags.

" Hallo!" she said in a high voice." My name's Sue, Professor Sycamore's assistant. "She pulled a pair of glasses out of her lab coat pocket with a full hand and awkwardly positioned them on the bridge of her nose. Here eyes were very big behind them, a cool, aquamarine color.

"I'm here to give you your starters, poke balls, and pokedexes," Sue said, a toothy grin plastered on her face, looking quite pale in comparison to her auburn hair.

"Let's get started!" Serena squealed. She took the bag Sue handed her and began to take out Pokeballs one by one. The first contained a small, cream-colored fox with bright red tufts of fur coming out of its ears.

" That's a fennekin," Sue told her. " And that one's a chespin," she continued, gesturing to the next one, which looked like a brown chipmunk with a bright green, leafy hood.

Sue handed the other bag to me . I reached inside and pulled out a pokeball. Inside was a small blue frog. " A froakie," I said recognizing the bubbles around its neck.

"Precisely!" Sue praised, beaming. " So, which do you choose."

"I want Fennekin!" Serena cried." It's soo cute!"

" Remember, choose not for appearance, but for ability. Fennekin seems to suit you well, though. How about you?" Sue asked, turning towards me.

I scratched my head. " Hmm… I choose…"

* * *

_author's note: Don't forget to review!_


	2. Chapter 2

"… Froakie!" I finish. I'm not stupid. Froakie was definitely the better choice. It's a water-type, which I work well with, and it gets a move that's insanely fast.

" Good Luck!" Sue called to us as she paraded out the door. Serena and I didn't notice; we were lost in conversation.

"Hurry, Alex! We have to travel to Route 2 by dusk," Serena urged, turning to face me. I was about 20 yards behind her, ready to collapse.

" Legs, don't fail me now," I mumble as I catch up to her.

Serena led me down the streets of Aquacorde. I liked the way her wavy hair bounced against her back as she walked with a bounding gait.

We finally reached Route 2. The sun had receded halfway into the trees, and the moon was just barely visible, sitting high in the sky, watching us.

"Why don't we search the woods… split up and find a few wild pokemon to add to our teams?"

"Okay," I agree. I watched her run off, her figure disappearing into a nearby tree grove.

After about five minutes of searching, I came across a pokemon called Fletchling. I watched its small, robin-like body hop around in the grass for a few moments, then I sprung into action. "Go, Froakie! Use Bubble!" I shouted, throwing Froakie's poke ball out.

The Bubble attack hit the Fletchling square in the beak and stunned it, and allowed me to catch it with a pokeball.

I trained my new pokemon for a few hours; its level about equal to Froakie's. I went back to the meeting spot, where I promptly collapsed on the ground and waited for Serena.

I almost didn't recognize her when she came out. She looked like she was in a hurricane.

"What happened!?" I cried out, quickly standing up on my aching legs.

Serena tugged at a stray branch caught in her tangled hair. "I tried to catch the leader of a Pidgey flock and … got attacked," she said glumly between pants. "But come on, we have to… move… on…" She trailed off, and put a hand to the side of her head. Her hand came back stained a dark red.

She promptly fainted.

I don't know when Serena woke up, but I'd guess it wasn't five minutes after this that she was ready to leave and tugging my shirt sleeve. "Wake up!"

Her determined face was a sight to see in the morning. I smoothed my ruffled hair and arched my cramped back. I had spent the night sleeping in a wooden chair in the waiting room.

I heaved my tired body off my chair and we started off. We passed straight through Route 2 (During which I noticed Serena glared at the tree grove for the entire duration, as if she was having a staring competition with an invisible Pidgey nesting in the trees.)

We finally reached Santalune Forest, but standing in the way of the trail was a very large, hairy man in a black leather jacket. When he saw us, he whipped off his sunglasses and spit in the dirt on the trail in front of us. It narrowly missed the tip of Serena's left boot, and she gave the man a disgusted look.

"You gotta pay to go through Santalune Forest," he said in a gruff, yet calm voice.

Serena dug the heels of her boots into the dirt and crossed her arms. "Never! You don't have to pay money to go through a forest! Why should we pay you? We could beat you in a fair fight, any day!"

"Too bad we don't fight fair, miss," the man said, snapping his fingers. A tall gangly woman with long, jet black hair and piercing, mint green eyes came out of the shadows, followed by a purple haired man with a heavily stubbled chin. Each pulled out a pokeball containing a Zigzagoon. The pokemon growled at Serena and I, and, thinking quickly, we sent out Fennekin, Froakie, and Fletchling.

Without a word, the pokemon charged. Fennekin used Ember and the woman's Zigzagoon quickly recoiled. Froakie was pounding at the leader's Zigzagoon with streams of bubbles, but was knocked out by a Take Down attack. Fletchling had long since taken down the purple haired man's Zigzagoon.

" Finish it!" Serena and I yelled simultaneously.

* * *

_Author's note: Don't forget to review!_


	3. Chapter 3

Fennekin and Fletchling charged at the Zigzagoon. Fennekin was using Ember, but none of the sparks hit the agile Zigzagoon. Fletchling was trying to use Quick Attack form its position in the air but its only grazed the Zigzagoon.

We all were so engrossed in the battle that no one noticed that Serena picked up a large rock and had snuck behind the thugs. Down goes the woman, and the purple-haired man. Serena was poised to strike the leader, now. I closed my eyes and cringed as I heard a loud crack, then a thump as the jacketed man hit the ground.

With his trainer down, the remaining Zigzagoon scattered.

* * *

"Hello, kids!" Officer Jenny said in a perky voice when she arrived. "Thank you for calling… and for subduing them before I got here.

"It was all Serena," I gushed.

"You two are free to go, no questioning required," the Officer continued, pulling out a small notebook and a pen.

"C'mon, Alex," Serena urged, yanking me by the sleeve in the direction of the forest.

* * *

"Serena…" I start. I'd been thinking of what I was going to say for a while now, and thinking the best course of conversation to avoid dispute. Women and men seem to disagree a lot when it comes to directions. "I think we're lost."

"We're not lost, we just need to find the right path," Serena mumbled in response. That was her response a few hours ago. I don't know the exact number of paths that lead out of this forest, but I'm guessing it's several more than I originally expected.

There is a rustling in the clump of bushes next to us, and Serena jumps.

"What's that?" I asked in surprise as I stopped walking.

Out of the bush jumped a small black caterpillar with buck teeth. "Mine!" Serena screeched. "Go, Fennekin! Use Ember!"

The wild pokemon dodged a few of Fennekin's attacks before it was hit in the head while trying to dodge another attack. Serena threw a pokeball and caught it. The ding of the pokeball seemed like music to her ears.

"Which pokemon is that?" I asked.

"I actually don't know," Serena says, tapping her boot as she pulled out her pokedex.

* * *

**Scatterbug**

**The scatter dust pokemon**

**Type: Bug**

**When under attack from bird Pokémon, it spews a poisonous black powder that causes paralysis on contact.**

* * *

"Scatterbug, But Type," Serena read, nodding. She sent out the recently caught pokemon. "Can you help us find our way out of this forest?" she asked it.

* * *

We arrived in the city of Santalune at dusk. The sun greeted us with a display of painted colors streaked across the sky. The journey out of the forest and across Route 3 had been long, so we were happy we arrived with time to spare.

"I think we should get a room in the Pokecenter for the night," I suggested, yawning.

"Good idea," Serena agreed.

* * *

"So, are we taking on the trainers at the gym tomorrow?" I asked Serena. We had checked in and were settled at the center. I had to admit, it was very nice and cozy.

"Yup," said Serena, leading back on her pillow. "Better get rested."

I was awake well into the night, listening to Serena snore. It wasn't loud; it was very calm, and occasionally she would wrinkle her nose and snort. It was actually kind of cute and I had to resist the urge to laugh. Eventually, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

As soon as Serena and I walked into the gym, I knew it was bug-type oriented. Webs coated the walls and ceiling, and hives hung from the rafters. I remembered the Scatterbug Serena caught; that would be a huge advantage, for sure. I nodded to myself. We had a good chance at winning. Serena and I made quite a nice pair.

The gym was like an indoor forest. In fact, it reminded me of the forest we walked through yesterday. We spotted a clearing. The gym leader was standing in the center, filing her nails with her plump, burgundy lips pursed in concentration. She wore a small, white top hat, which sat off-kilter on her head. Her long, straight blonde hair stretched down to her waist.

"Hey!" Serena piped up, rushing ahead in the direction of the blonde. "We challenge you to a gym battle!"

The woman's eyes, a startling blue color, opened wider as she looked at Serena, then at me. She stuck out her lips in thought as she examined us, her potential challengers. In truth, she looked a bit like some kind of red-billed Psyduck.

"I accept your challenge!" she cries out finally, a cunning look dawning on her peach colored face.

A referee hurried over. "Alright, this will be a 2-on-2 battle. Choose your pokemon wisely. You'll have one minute to discuss before the battle commences."

"Already chosen," the blonde says idly.

Serena and I were deep in discussion. "I'll us Fennekin, because fire is super-effective against bug," she told me. "At least, I'd assume she's using bug-type. The same goes for your Fletchling."

"Got it," I respond. "We're ready!" I said to the ref.

"Then let the battle begin!" he yelled. I poised myself for my first gym battle.

* * *

_Author's Note: This is set at a different time frame from the games so the leaders may be different in some instances._

_Don't forget to review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Normally this will be updated daily except for Sunday, unfortunately I will have no internet this weekend._

* * *

"Go, Fennekin!" Serena cried out, and at the same moment, I wailed, "Go, Fletchling!"

"Go, Surskit and Vivillon!" the gym leader shouted, throwing two pokeballs onto the field. Out of one came a small pokemon that looked like a water bug. Out of the other came a large Flying type pokemon, with wings like that of a butterfly.

I immediately concocted a battle plan, "Fletchling, use Peck on Surskit!" I commanded.

Serena followed, mimicking my plan of attack. "Fennekin, use Ember on Vivillon!"

Fletchling launched into attack mode. He made multiple passes at the Surskit below him. Surskit dodged and let loose an Ice beam, which hit Fletchling in its left wing. Unable to fly, it plummeted to the grassy ground. As it fell, Fletchling used Peck and landed squarely on Surskit, KO-ing both of them.

Meanwhile, Fennekin was going toe-to-toe with Vivillon. The butterfly-like pokemon was using Gust on Fennekin, but on the third gust the fox used an Ember attack that slammed into the flying creature, the force of the impact sent Vivillon to the ground, knocked out.

"Vivillon and Surskit are unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The challengers win."

The gym leader walked over to us, pulling two copper-colored badges from her pocket. "Riveting!" she commented. "You got spunk."

Serena tried to keep a smug look plastered on her face, but it was obvious she was trying to hide her overjoyed expression.

"Congrats, you've won the Santalune Gym badge!" the blonde woman exclaimed, flashing blinding white teeth in a smile.

I examined the badge she handed me. The front was engraved to look like a bug head, complete with forest green jades as eyes.

Serena jumped up and down in excitement, "We got our first gym badge!" she squealed, elated.

I tucked my badge into my pants and smiled.

* * *

_Author's Note: Don't forget to review!_


	5. Chapter 5

As we walked out of the gym, Serena held her badge high in the air. "I got a badge!" she bragged to pedestrians as we paraded down the street. All of them shot her confused or distasteful looks, to which she replied with a smug smile and a repetition of her new favorite phrase.

"Serena, hey," I interrupt, "we should get going, travel across Route 4."

"Good idea, and want to have a picnic? It's basically a giant garden, you know."

"Yeah," I reply. "I was actually getting kind of hungry, too. And if we leave now, we can arrive in Lumiose City by midnight, at latest."

"The Volbeat will light our way to the city!" Serena said gleefully.

We chose the perfect spot in Route 4. It was surrounded by wildflowers, and I might have spotted a few Sunflora, but I couldn't tell the difference. Serena had dressed for the occasion in a grey sweater-like top, with her freshly curled hair tied up in a crimson ribbon.

I set up the picnic, and Serena got to babbling. "My sister and I used to watch the clouds a lot when we were younger," she told me between bites of her sandwich. She licked the crumbs from her full lips. "I'll never forget the first time I recognized a pokemon in the clouds. As I told her, it looked like a Turtwig. She thought it looked more like a Tepig. Always liked that fire-type, she did. Tepig ended up being her starter."

"Hey, I actually never met your sister, what's her name?" I asked.

"Her name was Sabra," Serena answers, now misty-eyed. She falls backward and crosses her hands behind her head, staring up at the sky. "She was 10 years older than me, and left before I turned 5. Went to Unova to be some big-shot gym leader. We never heard from her again. She doesn't even visit…" she pauses, then finally sighs and resumes. "I really miss her."

I was silent, letting Serena's story sink in.

She takes a deep breath, and exhales in a funny way, as if she's holding back tears. She gives a small laugh, which sounds melancholy in contrast to her earlier giggles after the gym battle. "You know, my mom used to say that we have the same eyes," she says finally, feeling under her right eye with her index and middle fingers. "So, now whenever I look in the mirror… I think of her."

I bite my lip, unsure if I should stay silent or try to comfort her.

"Piplup," she says suddenly.

"What?"

"That cloud looks like a Piplup," she repeats, pointing at a small cloud in the cottony array.

"To tell you the truth, they all look the same to me," I say, laying back and stretching my legs.

"Okay, they're all Piplups, then?" she questions, giggling. (Her real giggle, not the one used to mask her sadness.)

We must have dozed off looking at the clouds, because when I opened my eyes, the Piplups had disappeared. The sky was painted black, and tiny, floating Volbeat mimicked the stars in brightness.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note:_

_Thanks to:_

_ConEmber for Following and Reviewing_

_Nay the Dreamer for Reviewing_

_Dragonlorerd6 for Favoriting and Following_

_ShadowTales for Following_

_Thanks everybody!_

* * *

I sat up quickly, scattering a few nearby Volbeat. In the dim light of the moon and the stars, I could see Serena's sleeping figure through the hazy darkness. I couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep because her back was turned to me.

I gently shook her shoulder. "Serena?"

She groaned. "Serena," I urged. "Get up, we have to get to Lumiose City, we have a meeting with Professor Sycamore tomorrow!"

"I'm awake…" she said groggily, stifling a yawn. "I was just… waiting for you to wake up…"

It sounded like a question more than a response. She blushed. "Let's get going," she said, standing up. We packed and started off in silence. What do you know, the Volbeat really DID light our way through Route 4.

After walking for a few minutes, I heard a blood-curdling scream.

"Did you hear that!?" I asked Serena.

"Hear what?" Serena said a few moments after I said it. She turned to me with glassy eyes, she must have zoned out.

"Help me!" the voice screamed again. A girl, it sounded like a young girl. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, it was echoing all around us in the crisp, midnight air. I looked wildly around, and saw a figure several yards away.

Without even thinking, I ran. I could have sworn that the scream sounded familiar, but it couldn't be Serena, because she was standing right behind me. She was standing stock-still, not following me as I sprinted at the figure.

I stopped about a yard away. Standing above a pokemon beaten beyond recognition… was my sister. She looked up, and our eyes met.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note:_

_Reminder: Don't make Alex's sister angry._

* * *

"Jess!" I shouted, running and positioned myself between her and the battered pokemon. Yes, it was definitely my older sister. Her blue eyes sparkled with worry, and her raspberry-colored hair curled up in an arc before spiraling in on itself.

Tears came to my eyes. "Jessie…" I choked out. I ran to her arms and hugged her. "What happened to you?"

"What happened to you?" she said back finally. Her voice turned to a whisper. "You were supposed to be in Hoenn."

"If you had visited… or even called," I began, wiping my eyes and pull away from the embrace. "Dad died, we moved. We never heard from you again."

Serena had appeared at my side. She looked from me to Jessie to the red-colored "R" emblem on my sister's top. She thought for a moment and did the only logical thing. Quick as she could move, she picked up a rock and hit Jessie in the head.

I gaped and turned to Serena. "Who was she?" she asked calmly. I looked at my sister, laying on the ground, an angry red bump appearing on her forehead where the rock had hit. I sighed, and began to tell Serena the story.

* * *

It is 9 years prior to our journey. I burst into her room, grinning. "Jessie, Jessie, want to play Pokemon Trainer? I got-" I stop suddenly. Her bedroom window was open. She was gone. I rush over and close it and the drapes, heart pounding.

I notice a piece of paper on her bed, I pick it up and mouth the words, "So you want to join Team Rocket?"

* * *

"She was you SISTER? She's a criminal!" Serena screeched.

"IS my sister," I corrected, peeling the R symbol off Jessie's shirt. "If this is on when we get to the hospital, they'll arrest her," I explained to Serena. I cradled the bloodied pokemon in one arm and picked up my sister's feet with my free hand. "Come on," I say, "help me get her to Lumiose."

* * *

I sat in the waiting room, my chin resting on my hands. I was lost in thought, oblivious to anything else. I don't even recall what I was thinking about, just… thinking.

A nurse in short black boots with shortly cropped blue hair flung open the doors and walked towards Serena and I. "Your sister is awake, you can come see her now."

I stood slowly, and followed the nurse to Jessie's room, Serena coming quickly behind me.

Jessie noticed me enter the room. "Hi, Alex," she greeted in a weak voice, before grabbing the lump on her forehead in pain. "What happened?"

"You fell… er, tripped," Serena answered quickly. "Hit your head on a rock. Nasty injury it was."

Jessie stared blankly at her for a few moments, then turned to me. "Please let me explain, Alex…" she begged. "I left Hoenn because I wanted to see the world. Team… the organization," she corrected herself, the blue-haired nurse was still in the room, "helped me do that. I've been in it for 9 years, since I was 14." She points feebly at me. "You… your expression, your reaction, makes me regret every minute of it. I've tried to quit several times, but they never believed I would. They sent me out to the back of their headquarters."

Jessie pauses before continuing. "I ran. Took the pokemon with me. Poor Ralts, pretty sickly looking, even when he was first brought there. While traveling through Route 4 after I deserted, I realized it had a tracker on its leg. I tried to get it off… I panicked, thinking they would find me. Ralts thought I was trying to hurt it, and attacked me. I fought back, and…" she trailed off.

I was surprised that Serena had stayed quiet so long, but finally, she spoke. "What about Ralts, what's going to happen to him? And your mom, are you going to call her, tell her you're alive?"

Jessie gave a small smile. "I was actually thinking of going back to live with mom, if she'd let me."

I smiled back. "She's your mother, of course she will. She misses you to death, you know."

"Alex can take Ralts," Serena said suddenly. Jessie and I both turned to her. "Another pokemon to add to your team, right? Once he gets discharged from the Center, of course," she finished, running her fingers through her hair.

"That's actually… a good idea," Jessie agreed. "It's not every day you come across a psychic-fairy type."

* * *

Jessie was discharged from the hospital two days later. Ralts was still being healed, but I promised Jessie that I would come back to get him when he was healthy again.

We opened the doors and stepped out of the hospital and into the mid-day sunlight. I turned to Jessie.

"Say hi to Mom for me, okay?"

She nodded, and we went our separate ways.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: So sorry I haven't been able to update for a while. Crazy busy the last 2 weeks. _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Ralts was healed two days after Jessie left. We informed Professor Sycamore of the predicament over the phone, and he rescheduled our meeting to the afternoon. I added Ralts to my team. He telepathically communicated with me, asking me to call him "Euphie."

Serena and I took a cab to Professor Sycamore's lab. Walking into the reception office, we were greeted by a secretary who said nothing and gave us a chipped smile.

With a face that conveyed the message, "I wish I got a phone call right now so I wouldn't have to talk to you," she popped a pink bubblegum bubble. Twirling a cherry coloured lock of hair around an aquamarine painted nail, she said finally, "How may I help you?" (There it was again, her fake smile.)

"We're here to see Professor Sycamore, we have a meeting at noon," Serena piped up. "Where's his office?"

The secretary popped a ridiculously large bubble. "Third floor, second door on the right."

"Thank you," Serena said, putting an emphasis on 'thank'. She moved in the direction of the elevator, and I followed. Turning back as Serena pushed the UP button, I noticed her glaring at us through her thick-rimmed purple spectacles before licking her finger (ugh, I hate when people do that) and turning a page of her magazine.

Upon arriving on the third floor, we walked over to the Professor's office door and knocked.

"Entrer Dans," the Professor called out from behind the closed door. Serena opened it and marched in with me cautiously following behind her.

Books lined the wooden shelves filling the beige painted walls. On his desk were several pokemon themed trinkets. I smiled inwardly at his Ralts clock, whose bells on its top looked like the helmet-like protection on the pokemon's head.

"Bonjour! Parlez-vous Francais?" he greeted.

"Je le pare couramment mais Alex ne fonctionne," Serena answered in French. The only thing I recognized was my name, or perhaps that was French for something.

The Professor slicked his tousled black hair off his scalp. "Very well," he said in English, "we will speak in English for his sake." He had a very thick French accent that reminded me of melted chocolate.

"Professor, why did you send us on this mission, if you don't mind me asking," I said.

"Psychology reasons, my boy," Professor Sycamore said with a smile. "S'asseoir. Sit down"

We sat. "I'm trying to discover the bonds formed between pokemon and trainers when they compete," he explained.

I noticed a bag on his desk containing 3 pokeballs, but I didn't get to ask him about it because he continued talking at a brisk pace.

"Now that we've started, I'm going to give you each a short survey. Periodically throughout your journey, you will complete surveys for me over the phone. Understand?"

We nod in response. "Excellent," Professor Sycamore said, handing us both a sheet of paper and a pencil.

Most of the survey was basic info… name, gender, age, hair and eye color. The second half was about my relationship Serena, to which I responded "neighbor, friend". The second question was "Do you get along with this person?" "Yes," I wrote.

The last question asked "How do you feel towards your partner." I hesitated, before answering, "She's my crush."

* * *

After the meeting with Sycamore, we went back to the Pokecenter. As I opened the door, I noticed a small advertising card hanging on the handle. It advertised an exquisite restaurant decorated with roses and bluebonnets.

"Belle Petit Mange," I mumbled the name aloud.

"Oh! We should eat there!" Serena squealed excitedly.

"Tomorrow night, for dinner or something. I'm actually really tired right now." I removed the card from the door handle and entered the room, setting it on the countertop.

"Cool, it's a date then," Serena said, switching on the television to a game show: "Who's that Pokemon?"

"A date?" I practically choked out in surprise.

"Yeh. Problem?" Serena said, turning to face me from her position on the couch.

"No," I said, fiddling with my shirt buttons. I grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter, took a bite from it, and munched thoughtfully.

"Guess that Pokemon!" the announcer cried to a contestant as the crowd roared. A shadowed form of a pokemon appeared on the screen.

"Pikachu!" Serena screeched.

"Clefairy!" the contestant answered. A ding sounded out, followed by the announcer yelling, "Correct!" Serena cursed loudly and readjusted her position on the couch. I shook my head and smiled, walking out of the kitchen and into one of the bedrooms. It wasn't until a few hours later that I fell asleep.


End file.
